Miller likes what he sees of Hamilton

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - When Reggie Miller takes a close look at the way Richard Hamilton plays, he sees an uncanny resemblance to himself.

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''He's mini-me,'' Miller said of the player who has been Detroit's main offensive weapon against Indiana in the Eastern Conference finals, which are tied 1-1 with Game 3 tonight.

Miller and Hamilton may not look alike, but their styles are strikingly similar. Both are masters at getting open by coming off screens, and both are tireless workers with boundless energy and speed.

Both are great shooters, too, although Miller often makes his living behind the 3-point line whereas Hamilton's comfort zone is from 16 to 21 feet.

''Reggie's a legend. Probably one of the greatest 2-guards ever to play this game, so it's always a privilege to be compared to somebody like him,'' Hamilton said. ''He's a guy I've watched my whole life, trying to pick up little things off him, the way he moves off screens, the way he shoots the ball. He's been very beneficial for my career.''

Hamilton scored 23 points in each of the first two games of a low-scoring series marked by intense defense from both teams.

And while neither team has shot better than 41 percent, Hamilton has been somewhat of an aberration by going a combined 18-for-34 from the field. Remove those numbers from the overall equation, and the rest of the Pistons are making only 26 percent of their attempts.

''He's relentless in how he approaches the job of scoring the ball,'' said Indiana's Rick Carlisle, who coached Hamilton in Detroit the previous two seasons. ''Rip and Reggie are very similar in that aspect.''

Miller is not the primary offensive option he was earlier in his 17-year NBA career when he averaged at least 16 points in all but two seasons.

Indiana's offense now runs through All-Stars Jermaine O'Neal and Ron Artest, with Miller the No. 1 option only when a game-deciding shot is needed. That was the case in Game 1 when Miller's only basket, a 3-pointer, broke a late tie and led the Pacers to a 78-74 victory.

The Pistons use Hamilton the way the Pacers once used Miller, often having up to three other players set a variety of screens to create the split-second of daylight Hamilton needs to get his shot off.

In the fourth quarter of Detroit's 72-67 victory in Game 2, Hamilton scored 13 of the Pistons' final 15 points to help them tie the best-of-seven series.

Hamilton has managed to stick with Miller in this series, holding the 38-year-old to 30 percent shooting.